Purchasing

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Purchasing

Functions of the Purchasing Department

The Purchasing Department has the SOLE authority to order supplies, materials, and equipment and to obligate the University for Contractual Services. Without definite and particular permission of the Purchasing Department, NO University department may order directly by letter, telephone, fax, e-mail, telegraph or any other manner. The University will assume no obligation except on a previously issued and duly authorized purchase order. Remember, should a Dean, Director, Vice-President, the President or Budget Officer give their approval to make a purchase, they are giving permission for the purchase to be made through the Purchasing Department, but not to make the purchase yourself. REMEMBER that the Purchasing Department is required to operate according to State Laws.

Purchasing policies and procedures apply uniformly to all funds administered by the University whether they are departmental budgeted operating, system, or restricted (including professorships, riverboat funds and student organizations). Any funds deposited with the University are considered a university fund, and must be expended according to prevailing University and State Policies.

The Purchasing Department at McNeese is a service department to all other departments. Thus, policies and procedures are designed to serve the interests of all departments as well as to meet policy requirements of the State of Louisiana.

Through specialization and centralization of purchasing, the Purchasing Department is able to procure supplies and equipment as economically and conveniently as possible.

Procedures of Purchasing

A department enters a purchase requisition for goods/services required. Such request is routed for approval by the designated approver.

Once all the necessary approvals are met, the purchase requisition is routed to the Purchasing Department. At this point the requisition is routed to a buyer to be reviewed and processed.

An approved purchase requisition does not give the department the authority to place an order. No order can be placed without a valid purchase order number obtained from the purchasing department.

If a need arises in a department where a purchase must be made by an individual and that individual will need to be reimbursed, PRIOR approval must be granted by the person responsible for the department's budget as well as the Purchasing Department. When the requisition is entered for reimbursement the receipt must be forwarded to purchasing specifying the requisition number and a document note must be entered specifying the individual in purchasing granting approval to make the purchase.